


Surftopia '86

by fanficiguess



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Surfing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-06 23:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10346631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficiguess/pseuds/fanficiguess
Summary: Nick and Judy have been best friends since daycare. With both graduating high school and Judy about to go off to college, can their romance survive? Can their friendship survive?





	

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to my editor, Hectara at https://hectara.tumblr.com/
> 
> Before you read on, note that I have absolutely no experience in surfing nor have I ever touched a surfboard in my entire life so any surfing in here is entirely by my own research so I apologize if there are any inaccuracies!

Downtown Zootopia at 7am on a work day was a smoggy traffic nightmare and the construction of the new Zootopia Loop Line, slated for fall 1986, made it worse. Commuters and semi-trucks delivering concrete and steel to work sites would compete for precious road space in a chaotic symphony of car horns.

Downtown Zootopia at 7am on a weekend however was a surreal place. 5 lane roads were deserted as far as the eye could see with the odd street sweeper crossing the empty streets and lines of traffic lights that twinkled off into the distance.

Judy Hopps liked this weekend time of day. She had the whole city to herself and her ZMC Marsupilami. The morning air still smelled clean and the soft roar of the main river that cut through Zootopia was a nice change from rumbling diesel engines and car horns. She nodded approvingly to herself for deciding to put the top down, the cool air flowing through her ears was a nice sensation and the surfboard strapped to her roof proved enough of a cover.

The odd flickers of warm sunlight between the skyscrapers also felt nice on her fur whenever they met. Reaching the end of the river, she emerged from the forest of skyscrapers into a brilliant and beautiful sunrise that let Judy know it was going to be a hot summer day today. All the better for some beach fun.

Judy panicked for a moment when she saw a line of delivery trucks taking up half the road as she made the turn over the river and into Sahara Square. It was a brief panic that disappeared when she realized that it was 7am on the weekend and she drove past all sizes of delivery trucks, all idling and waiting to enter the new Delta Road Station construction site. Soon she passed the construction site entirely and made the turn onto the avenue that lined the beach promenade.

The beach always had a calming effect on Judy. She was shaken by the recent college rejection letters she received a few weeks ago and still hadn’t heard back from her prized college. No matter. Today was going to be a day of relaxation. She briefly glanced up at her surfboard and grinned to herself. She was going to relax and enjoy the day with her surfboard and best friend whom she’s known since daycare. It was the same best friend that introduced her to surfing and whose mom runs the surf shop she parked in front of.

Mrs Wilde’s Surf Shop. This was one of the most popular surf shops along the beach promenade not only for locals but for those that made the hour long journey to the ocean coast and even around the world despite it being located in a somewhat older building between an ice cream shop and a laundromat. Despite that its opening hours were a little later in the morning, Judy could see Mrs Wilde inside, restocking shelves and rearranging wares before disappearing behind some surfboards.

Judy exited her car, crossed the street and stood in the open door. “Mrs Wilde?” she called out, stepping cautiously inside.

A middle-aged female fox popped her head from behind a shelf at Judy before smiling and walking over to give Judy a big hug. “Judy!” Mrs Wilde said, squeezing Judy tight, “How ya been, girl?”

The teenage rabbit tried to hide her gasp for air. Mrs Wilde had a vice like grip and she wasn’t shy about it either. “Just fine, thank you, Mrs Wilde! I was just wondering if Nick was in.”

Mrs Wilde flapped her paw towards the bead curtains at the back of the shop. “Oh, Nick’s out back with Yax. They’re supposed to be bring out the new stock and setting it out front.” she said. She thought and nudged Judy towards the back with a grin. “You know, why don’t you go on back and hassle him a bit for me?”

Judy grinned back. “I will. Thanks, Mrs Wilde!”

A colorful bead curtain was the only thing that separated the front of the store from the back. She passed through it with a clatter and started walking down the stark corridor, work schedules and labor laws tacked on its walls. She passed an open door that lead into the office/break room. There was another door that looked like a storage closet and another door that lead to the bathroom.

At the end of the corridor was an open door with some clattering and barely audible voices. “Nick?” Judy called out.

There was a brief silence before a younger male voice called out from the open door, “In here, Jude!”

Judy entered the open doorway and into the storage room. There were shelves of every surfing paraphernalia imaginable and all manner of surfboard hung from the ceiling. Eventually she emerged from the small forest of shelves into an open space where she found a hippie yak and a teenage fox loading large surfboards onto a special cart. Once Judy saw they both were wearing brightly patterned tropical shirts, she couldn’t help but giggle which got their attention.

“Nick!” Judy said, hopping over to pounce on the teenage fox and ruffle his ears.

Nick laughed, batting at Judy. “Easy, easy! I just got rid of my ear infection!”

The yak grinned and waved at Judy, “Hey there, little lady! How’s it hangin’?”

Judy smiled at the yak, “Hi Yax! Just great. I was about to kidnap Nick here for a little surfing.”

“It’ll have to wait for a bit, I’m afraid.” Nick said, locking the boards in place on the cart. “I gotta finish helping Yax unload these boards out front. However if you really wanted to take me surfing faster, you could help me with those two packages of surfboards on the ground over there.”

They were medium sized packages that she could carry in either arm easily. One of them was open and looking inside revealed rodent sized surfboards of all colors and designs. She couldn’t help but let out an aww, imagining little mice and voles surfing. After a little giggle, she closed the box and lifted both of them up into her arms.

The three maneuvered through the shop and out front where their eyes were instantly assaulted by the rising summer sun. After a moment to adjust, Yax and Nick started to unload the board cart while Judy helped to set up the small boards nearby. Once done, the three stood back and admired their handiwork.

Nick threw an arm over Judy’s shoulder and jostled her a little. “Thanks for the help, Jude! Saved me a trip back to the stock room and us some surf time too!”

Yax squinted out into the beach. “Surf should be excellent later on, dude; the tide’s coming in and you know how that water gets when the ocean comes into the bay.”

Judy was about to say something before Nick snapped his paws. “Forgot my board! Be back in a moment!” he said before running and disappearing back into the shop.

There were few things that filled Judy with dread. One of them was being left alone with an aging hippie surfer who was especially prone to rambling on about the glory days of surfing in the 60’s and 70’s.

“It’s a shame neither of you will ever experience the glory days of surfing in the 60’s and 70’s.” Yax began. Judy gave a deep sigh and a heavy eyeroll before Yax started into his rambling. “Back in the days, you didn’t have these newer plastic boards. There’s a lot to be said about wooden surf boards.”

Nick came out with surfboard in paw, stopping a moment when Judy shot him a look for leaving her alone with Yax. He grimaced and stood next to Judy as a way of making amends. If she was going to suffer through Yax’s stories, he might as well have to too.

“... Miki Roara! Didget! Bear Brown! The DUKE himself! You’ll never get to see those legends out on the beach shores anymore! All used wooden boards and proved that we didn’t have to live by The Sheep’s rules!”

Mrs Wilde heard Yax through the open door and looked out the front window. She had to snicker at the sight of two bored and clearly uninterested teenagers being held hostage by an aging flower child but realized it was a cruel fate to leave them to.

“Yax!” Mrs Wilde said, standing in the doorway. “I need your height with the board leashes!”

The yak snapped out of his rant and nodded to the middle aged fox. “Oh for sure, Mrs Wilde! I’m on it!” Yax said before turning back to the two teenagers. “Sorry dudes, I gotta get back inside, but you two have fun out there!”

Yax fist bumped a relieved Nick and Judy before walking back inside. Mrs Wilde followed after him before looking back at Nick and Judy, mouthing the words YOU OWE ME to the two before disappearing back inside too.

* * *

The surfing binoculars that Nick’s mom gifted to him on his 14th birthday were indispensable in finding good waves. Yet for the hours they drove up and down the beach, Nick could find none. It didn’t mean that they didn’t have fun talking about whatever engrossed a teenager.

“Did you see those new Nintendoe ad’s in Digital Gaming Monthly?” Nick said, still gazing out onto the water.

Judy’s ears perked up. “I did!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I wanna try Legend of Zebra at the arcade first though before putting down $50 down on it.”

Nick made a face and briefly looked at Judy. “I don’t think Legend of Zebra is the type of game you’d see at arcades, Jude.”

“What about Mice Climber then?”

“Hmmmmm… maybe Mice Climber.”

The pair tried driving as close to the waterfront as they could but a detour through Savannah Central put them at a red light that sat under a large scrolling news display alongside some other billboards.

Judy squinted at the display and read off the news. “President Ronald Reagoat… directs General Jumbeauxson… in reorganization of… the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization.” she muttered to herself before grumbling loudly.

The ever carefree Nick cocked his head towards Judy. “What’s up?”

By now, Judy was livid, lightly punching her steering wheel. “Can you believe that mad mammal? It’s bad enough we’re in a Cold War with the Taiguskans, this president is going to start Zoo War 3!”

Nick only put on his sunglasses and leaned back with a grin. “Aren’t you too young to be worrying about nuclear annihilation?” he said, flailing a paw at the bright blue sky. “I mean just look at the day! You should be thinking how nice the sun feels on your fur!”

Judy was about to interject before Nick interrupted her. “Look, Judy, I have no love for Ronald Reagoat either, especially as a predator mammal myself. With that said, he, as well as many previous administrations, have had plenty of opportunities to start a nuclear holocaust. Remember the missile crisis in the 60’s?”

“My parents hadn’t even met.”

“That was the closest we ever got to a nuclear war and someone blinked. Someone blinked! Every close call we’ve had, someone blinked! The point is not to worry about nuclear annihilation because the big anchovies upstairs are just trying to psyche each other out. None of them truly want a nuclear war; all they’re doing is just keeping up pretenses.”

There were so many flaws and counter arguments to Nick’s statement that Judy could argue it all day long. The problem was she didn’t have the desire nor the energy to do just that, especially on a bright, hot day like today. Instead, she sulked into her seat. “I guess…”

Nick couldn’t help but grin to himself. He placed the caps back on his binocular lenses and put them away under his seat. “Anyway, I haven’t seen any good waves. Let’s just stop at Ermynns.”

* * *

Ermynn’s Arcade was the premier hangout for teens in Zootopia. Run by a gifted and sometimes eccentric computer programmer who designed many of ZOOCOM’s best selling video games, it was where all teen mammals wanted to be, where pizza and gaming quarters flowed and where Nick and Judy spent many weekends and nights. They always played the new games when they had the chance but they always gravitated to Space Parakeets.

Nick would usually play the first game while Judy went to get both of them some food, also giving her some time to eat her pizza while she watched and heckled Nick. All three of his lives would be gone and they would switch places, letting Nick eat his bug burger and do some heckling himself. Regardless of how well he played, Judy would always barely beat his high score.

“How do you always beat my high score?!” Nick exclaimed, throwing a few fries at Judy in disgust.

Judy laughed, batting away the fried missiles before just shrugging in a way that may or may not hide hours of practice at home. “Beats me! I guess I’m just a natural!”

* * *

It was only noon and Nick and Judy were sitting on a park bench by the beach, watching the waves for the right time to go out with Judy’s car parked behind them. It was here that they’d discuss lots of things until the Big Topic reared its ugly head.

“I still haven’t heard from the University of the Evergreen Forest yet.” Judy said.

Nick was peering through his binoculars at the waves, trying to deduce the perfect time to go out and half listening to Judy. “You’re sure the other ones were rejection letters?”

Judy just looked up at Nick incredulously. “Uh, YEAH I’m pretty sure the words ‘We regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the class of 1990’ counts as a rejection!” she snapped.

“Well.” Nick said, unfazed, as he pawed around for some fries while he still looked through his binoculars, dipping them into some ketchup and slowly shoveling them into his mouth. “Okay then.”

Irritation then guilt started washing over Judy. “I’m sorry, Nick, but this is my future, you know? If I don’t get into a good college, I’ll have to go to community college or worse, a vocational college!”

Nick licked the salt from his paws before he spoke. “First off, don’t knock community colleges or vocational colleges. The quality of their education is just as good as regular 4 year colleges and for a cheaper price too. Plus trade jobs, unglamorous as they may be, they still get paid bank. How many impoverished plumbers and electricians do you see?”

“Secondly, you still haven’t heard from Evergreen Forest. For all we know, your acceptance letter is already flying first class mail, ready to let you know to get your passport ready.”

Nick momentarily set his binoculars down to look at Judy. She was staring into space, typical worry behavior for as long as Nick has known Judy. Luckily, he knew the one thing that would pull her out of her funk with absolute certainty, one that he spied through his binoculars moments ago.

Without saying a word, Nick put lense caps back on his binoculars and stood up, making his way back to the car to drop it off as well as his shirt that we wore over his swimming trunks. Judy briefly snapped out of it to look at Nick. “W-where are you going?”

A few tugs of the straps and Nick’s board was released and balanced over his head. “You can stay here and worry all day long but I’m not going to miss a moment of surfing.” Nick said before racing down the beach towards the water.

Judy blinked, squinting out at the water and realizing why Nick ran off. The waves were really starting to come in and some were even bigger than Nick. She soon forgot about college and becoming a plumber as she quickly took off the clothes she was wearing over her swimsuit. There were waves to be surfed and she’d be damned if she was going to miss them!

* * *

Silently Judy sat waiting on her board, looking behind her eagerly for a good wave. The moment she saw the foamy crest of a wave behind her, she started paddling like crazy. She felt herself start to rise with the swell and quickly hopped to her feet to adopt her goofy footed stance.

She stayed just in front of the crest, trying to find the right moment to do her stunt. Concentration was key and she had failed this stunt many times before but she had the feeling today would be different. She angled down, gathering enough speed and soon she felt air under her board. In one quick motion, she pulled her board up in front of her and brought it back down under to land flawlessly with both paws.

Nick hooted and hollered from his board closer to the shore. “THE SUPER RAM!” he shouted. His cheers were soon joined by Judy’s as they high fived each other.

“I did it! I finally nailed it!” Judy exclaimed, still high of the adrenaline.

“Yeah, it was pretty good, I guess.” Nick said, suddenly switching to a nonchalant tone but still keeping his smug grin. “But can you do this?”

Nick frantically swam out the moment he finished his sentence, waiting for a wave. He frantically started to paddle to catch one, hopping up and surfing just in front of the crest. He waited for the right angle and speed before he flung himself into the air, his paws still on the board. He managed to get completely upside down before his stunt failed, his paws losing contact with the board and wiping out in the surf.

Failure, he thought as he floated face up and stared at the blue sky, floating limply back and washing up on the beach. He was starting to wonder if there was a hermit crab under his tail before Judy’s smirking face appeared into view.

“Good attempt at the Finstone Flip, Nick.” she said, reaching down to pull Nick up.

Nick reluctantly stood back up on his paws, a slow grin growing on his face. “How is it that I know everything there is to know about surfing and you can do the Super Ram?”

Judy put her paws behind her and just shrugged. “I guess I’m just a natural at that too! Also I had a good teacher, I guess.” she said, nudging Nick with her shoulder.

“Awwwww. Shut up.”

* * *

The sun was just touching the tops of the distant mountains, bathing the sky in a warm orange and purple glow that silhouetted the city skyline, its city lights just barely visible against the sky. The temperature was starting to cool off and all along the beach were mammals hunkering down around variously sized bonfires, one of which Judy warmed herself by under a thick blanket. Occasionally she would look over the beach log she sat next to at the Taco Snail across the boulevard, waiting for Nick to come back with food.

Finally, a young fox in a green shirt came out with two bags, both seemingly too big for him to carry. Regardless, he carried them as if they weighed nothing, crossing the boulevard and trudging through the sand until he lept over the beach log and landed sitting next to Judy.

“Soft taco supreme meal for me…” Nick said as he looked into one bag and set it aside before handing the other bag to Judy. “And one snailburger meal for you!”

Both dug into their meals with relish. They had been surfing for 7 hours straight without a break, leaving them famished enough for even Judy to eat insects.

“Gurh, so good!” Judy said with her mouth full, poking a few strays of minced snail back into her mouth.

Nick couldn’t help but side-eye Judy. “You know that’s just a sloppy vole with taco seasoning.” he smirked as he carefully crunched into a soft taco.

Judy just shrugged. “Sometimes you just want a sloppy vole! Besides, you know anywhere else that serves sloppy voles?”

“Probably McAphids real soon, judging from what I read the other day. They’re going to be rolling out roach fajitas soon.”

Judy made a face and stuck her tongue out. “Gross! I mean, roaches are good and everything but just the idea of McAphid’s selling fajitas…”

They continued to talk about anything and everything, from surfing spots around the world to the latest music videos on Mammal Television. Nick tried to burn his styrofoam cup which neither he or Judy enjoyed the smell of nor the pair of passing cops who gave them a stern lecture about burning waste on the beach. They continued to talk and laugh under their beach blankets as the sun finally ducked behind the mountains and the last slivers of sunlight that outlined the mountain tops disappeared, plunging the sky into a soft purple and pink twilight that finally allowed the city lights to twinkle.

Judy edged closer to Nick, nudging him playfully. “Thanks for taking my mind off of things, Nick. I really had a good day today.”

Nick flapped a paw at Judy dismissively. “Eh. That’s what friends are for.”

They both didn’t talk for a while, just enjoying each others presence and the summer twilight that started to give way to the stars. “We’re both lucky to be living in Zootopia, aren’t we?” Judy finally said wistfully.

Nick grinned, nudging back. “Unless you know anywhere else that has all this surf and sun.”

Judy thought for a moment before she shook her head. “Nope. Nowhere that I know of has this and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”


End file.
